Former NFL Star Visits Lincoln School
“Be a hero, not a zero!”
On Monday, April 10, 4th and 5th grade students at Lincoln school were surprised by a special guest – former NFL player Walter Mendenhall. During an anti-bullying assembly, Mendenhall spoke to students about the three guiding principles of his life success: good decisions, hard work, and faith. “You have to want success as bad as you wanna breathe,” Mendenhall told students as he recounted some of the early struggles of his own childhood. Mendenhall, who grew up in a single parent home while his father was incarcerated faced many challenges, including being diagnosed with a learning disability. Despite these challenges, he graduated from high school and the University of Illinois where afterwards he went on to play professional football for the Philadelphia Eagles, Indianapolis Colts, Buffalo Bills, and Cincinnati Bengals. He offered lots of words of encouragement to students at Lincoln who face similar challenges as well.
Students had the opportunity to ask Mendenhall questions about his success on and off the football field and, to their surprise, he explained that the most important aspect of his life was not playing the game. “Football was just a tool so that I could do what I’m doing here today, giving back to students,” he said. Mendenhall speaks to students across the country about the importance of standing up to bullies and taking control of their lives through education and good social choices.